Enoch Burke, a former schoolteacher, confronts the risk of additional time in Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison after contravening a High Court order by returning to his old school. Mr Burke, who has already served more than 400 days behind bars due to contempt, came to the entrance of Wilson’s Hospital School as it commenced the new academic year last Thursday.
Mr Burke’s previous jail term was a consequence of ignoring a court mandate that prohibited him from stepping foot on the private boarding institution located in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, where he formerly taught. His release from jail in June was granted by the High Court because the school was closed for summer holidays. Though the decision was made even as Mr Burke continued to deny seeking absolution for his contempt and refusing to promise to keep his distance from the school.
During the court proceedings, Justice Sanfey declared his intention to underscore that the ruling against Mr Burke was still effective and any infringement of it would lead the school board to petition for his imprisonment. In a separate case last month, the High Court made a decision against the former schoolteacher when he sought the cancellation of a permanent restraint forbidding his presence at the school.
Mr Burke showed up on the property last Thursday, the same day the school was orientating first-year learners. A comment regarding the situation was declined by Garda, who confirmed their awareness of the ongoing civil dispute in Multyfarnham, but did not detain Mr Burke.
Previously, the devout Christian from Castlebar, Co Mayo, experienced discord with the school administration due to his defiance to call a pupil by a different name and to use gender-neutral pronouns. The disagreement led to his suspension and later dismissal last January, following which he began to gather outside the school entrance in defiance. This prompted the school board to seek a legal mandate to keep Mr Burke away, bringing about his imprisonment for contempt after persistent non-compliance.
Earlier in the year, another case was lost by Mr Burke when a judge ruled that a newspaper article about him did not constitute defamation. During his initial incarceration, the story was published on October 9th, 2022 by the Sunday Independent.
The report indicated, according to confidential informants, that measures had been taken to ensure his safety inside Mountjoy Prison, as he was moved to a different cell, in order to avoid possible harm due to his tendency to irk other inmates and frequently voicing his strong opinions and beliefs.
Mr Burke decided to pursue legal action asserting that the publication tarnished his image. However, the respondents contested, stating his character hadn’t been harmed in the perspective of sensible societal members, albeit they admitted to a few negligible inaccuracies within the article.
Ruling on the suit against Sunday Independent’s publisher, Mediahuis, on the 13th of June, Mr Justice Mulcahy determined that the language utilised within the report, in its primary and accurate interpretation, was unable to inflict harm on his reputation.